Picnic welcomes students

Last Saturday, hundreds of new and returning international students congregated at the Richland Avenue Park to kick off the school year.

The event was coordinated by the International Student Union, and was expected to draw around 200 people. Students gathered under large tents to cool off with lemonade, and many formed groups to play volleyball and soccer.

Union President Phally Chroy said the picnic’s goal is getting international students acclimated to Athens.

“I hope it’ll help them [feel] like they’re not alone in this experience,” Chroy said. “There’s a com- munity, helpful and welcoming to let students know that people are here for them and [that] we’re in this process together.”

The picnic included icebreakers, food and team-building games.

“I really like it, I’m very excited about it,” said Mingran Ma of Jinan, China, who was among the first students to arrive at the pic- nic. “I’ve (made) a lot of friends.”

Students from around the world got together in small groups

under the tents, a mixture of cultures and backgrounds. Students from different countries bonded with the common goal of making connections and sharing experi- ences.

“I think it’s great,” said Lassane Ouedraogo, from Burkina Faso, in West Africa, at the picnic. “We get to meet new people we didn’t necessarily know, [and] we get to know each other.”

The Welcome Picnic was just one event within the university’s orientation for international stu- dents, which was coordinated by International Student and Faculty Services (ISFS). Other events included tours of Alden Library, an ice cream social, a movie night, a shuttle to Wal-Mart and bowling.

Orientation events were be- tween Aug. 11 and Aug. 23, making the Welcome Picnic the final event before classes begin. Preliminary enrollment numbers for how many international students are attend- ing OU this fall are not yet available.

“It’s good to have stuff like this,” Chroy said. “You can see peo- ple are getting to know each other.”